Telescoping runway for freight cars



Dec. 21 1926. 1 1,611,555

P. L. PRICE ET m.

TELESCOPING RUNWAY FOR FREIGHT CARS Filed Dec. 51 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR5 ATTORNEY P. L. PRICE ET AL.

TELESCOPING RUNWAY FOR FREIGHT CARS Dec. 21,1925. 1,611,555

Filed Dec. 3'l, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j gyz M.

Fig.5. 6

1 &

INV TORS ATTQRNEY Patented Dec. 21, 1926.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL LEON PRICE, or MOUNT VERNON, NEW YoRK, AND LINsoN H. DE voE, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T IRVING IRON WORKS COMPANY, A son,-

PORATION OF NEW YORK.

TELESCQPING RIl'NVVAY FOR FREIGHT CARS.

Application filed December 31, 1925. Serial N0. 78,619.

This invention relates to runways of metal grating or other rigid type of construction which are intended for use in situations where they. are liable to be subjected to powerful endwise compression forces, and is designed to permit in such emergencies the partial telescoping ofsuch runways to avoid the destruction or serious distortion which would otherwise occur. The invention is particularly applicable to runways for freight cars, which runways are usually allowed to project slightly beyond the car roof extremities to partly bridge over the space between adjacent cars. As a large proportion of freight train accidents result in, or from, draft rigging failures which permit adjacent car bOdleS to be forced closely together, it follows that if the runways are made of rigid steel grating, now frequently employed for the purpose, this butting togeti'ier of the cars willsmash up the projecting portions of the grating and perhaps tear the entire runway from the car roofs also damaging the car roof and rendering it leaky. To avoid this the present invention furnishes a convenient form of telescoping runway construction by having the projecting end sections of the runway detachably secured to thecar roofs, and so shaped at so their inner ends as to easily slide over the adjacent runway sections whenever forced inward and freed from their fastenings by the impact of a collision or other accident.

The best form of apparatus embodying our invention at present known to us is illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which: i

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a train of freight cars equipped with the runway, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation on a larger scale with parts broken away, showing a telescoping end panel of the runway.

Fig. 4 is a similar plan view.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section on line 55 of Fig. 7 showing on a still larger scale the end fastening of atelescoping panel.

Fig. 6 is asimilar View of the mid-panel fastening, and

Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of Fig. 5.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts. 1, 1*, 1', represent a portion of a train of freight cars along the roofs of which longitudinally thereof extends the runway 2, composed of a series of sections of. metal grating. As shown, five of these sections are permanently, rigidly fastened to each car roof-by any convenient means, but the two end sections of gratlng 3, 3, which project slightly beyond each end of the car are detachably secured to the car roof so'that in case of collision they may easily become detached from the roof and permitted to slide inward up and over the rigidly fastened sections 2,

2, as shown in broken lines in Figs. 3 and 5.

The preferred method of detachably and fiexlbly fastening is illustrated in detail in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 7. In this preferred construction, 4 (Figs. 2 and 3), is a bendable supporting brace preferably made of a strip of strap iron or steel, the upper end of which is fastened'to the outer projecting end of theend runway section 3, while its other end is fastened to the end wall of the car body l at a much lower point. The middle portion of grating section 3 is supported by any convenient form of saddle 5, preferably made of similar, but heavier steel straps, and the inner end of the grating section rests on one half of the wider-saddle 6, the other half of which supports the Outer end of a rigid section 2 of the runway. The preferred method of fastening the telescoping grating section 3 to these saddles 5 and 6 comprises a hook-shaped clip 7 adjustably fastened to the grating 3 and engaging the saddle 5 on the side thereof farthest from the adjacent end Of car body 1 and a slotted clip 10 fastened on saddle 6 with its slot pointing away from the adjacent end of the car body and adapted to engage the bolt or pin 11 mounted on the inner end of end section 3 of the runway. Preferably, the hook 7 is adjustably mounted on grating 3 by means of the bolt 8 grating.

Preferably the inner extremity of each end section 3 on the runway is undercut diagonally and has an inclined cross piece 12 fastened toitas best shown in Figs. 3 and 5 so that when the end section 3 is driven inward toward the center of the car, and thereby detaches itself from saddles 5 and 6, it

will be caused to ride smoothly up over the abutting end of a rigid section 2 of the runway, thus telescoping the runway as a whole passing through slot 9 in the upon itself without rupturing or distorting any of its elements. In the case of an end section of runway being driven inward in this manner by a collision or other accident, the bendable supporting brace 4 will yield without breaking and, by tending to raise the runway section 3 by the angularity of its movement, will further facilitate the lifting of the end section 3 up over the rigid section 2 and away from the-car roof so that the latter will not be injured by the moving parts.

In operation, each end section of the runway 3 is initially installed by bolting brace 4 to its outer end, sliding pin l 1 into the slot in clip 10, forcing hook shaped clip 7' -in engagement with saddle 5 as shown in Fig. 6 and clamping it in position by finally tightening bolt 8. In case of collision, clip- 7 and pin 11 are freed from any connection with the car roof by the initial inward inovement of runway section 3 and said section I is harmlessly lifted up and slid over .the rigid section 2 Without injury to itself or to the rest of the runway or to thecar roof. l/Vhen the car is repaired all that is necessary is to force end section 8 of the runway back into its original position, reengage clip 7, and pin 11, and the runway is again ready for use.

Obviously other forms of detachable fastenings, yielding supports and telescoping means could be substituted for the particularly preferred mechanisms above described without departing from the principle of the invention or entirely sacrificing the benefits derived from the telescoping function thereof.

The section 3 may be held against movement under ordinary conditions by friction of bolt 11, and the outward thrust of inclined brace 4 under the weight of section 3 and of persons standing on or walking over said section. 4

23 (see Fig. 4;), is the end of a short panel of grating placed crosswise of the car r'oof near each end, and on which the brakeman stands when opefiting the hand brake, and over which he walks when going to the ladder or steps at the bar end by which he climbs down from the car.

Having described our claim:

1. A telescoping runway for freight cars and the like comprising, in combination, a panel rigidly fastened to an intermediate portion of the car roof, an end panel projecting part way beyond the extremity of the car, a flexible support for said projecting end, and apparatus for fastening the inner portion of said end panel to the roof adapted to be disengaged by an inward movement of said panel.

2. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which said fastening apparatus cominvention, we

car roof with its slot opening away from the adjacent end of the car, and a pin on said end panel near the extremity thereof nor-- mally engaging said slot.

4:. A combination such as defined in claim 1.i n which said fastening apparatus comprises a saddle fastened on the car roof under the middle portion of said end panel, a hook-shaped clip on said panel engaging said saddle on the side thereof farthest from the adjacent end of the car, a slotted clip rigidly mounted on the car roof near the inner extremity of said end panel with its slot opening away from the adjacent end of the car, and a pin on said panel normally engaging said slot.

5. A telescoping runway for freight cars and the like comprising, in combination, a panel rigidly fastened to the car roof, and a second panel adjacent thereto partly pro-.

jecting beyond the end of the .car and detachably fastened to the car roof, one of the abutting ends of said panels being beveled, whereby upon inward movement of said projecting panel it may slide up over the other panel.

6. A telescoping runway for freight cars and the like comprising, in combination, a panel rigidly fastened to the car roof, and a second panel adjacent thereto partly projecting beyond the end of the car and detachably fastened to the car roof, the-inner end of said projecting panel being undercut diagonally, whereby upon inward movement of said projecting panel it may slide up over the other panel. I

7. A structure such as defined in claim 5 combined with an inwardly bendable support for the projecting portion of said end panel.

8.. A structure such as defined in claim 5 combined with a support for the projecting portion of said end panel comprising a bendable strap of metal fastened at its upper end to said panel and at its lower end to a much lower portion of the car end wall.

9. A freight car runway panel having one end beveled to facilitate its slidin up over an adjacent panel under the in uence of pressure tending to telescope any runway of which said panel may form an element.

10. A telescoping runway for freight cars comprising, in combination, a series of panels rigidly fastened to 'the car roof in line with one another and lengthwise of the same, and end panels projecting one beyond each end of said car and adapted to slide up over the abutting ends of said rigid panels under telescoping pressure.

11. A telescoping runway for freight cars comprising, in combination, a series of pan- 5 els of metal grating rigidl fastened in line along the car roof' intermediateof its ends, a similar panel projecting part way beyond each extremity of the car roof, inwardly bendable supports for said projecting panel ends, and hook-shaped clips detachably fastening said end panels to the roof and adapted to be disengaged by inward movements of said end panels, the inner extremity of each said end panels being undercut diagonally to facilitate its sliding up over the adjacent rigid panels when moved inward.

PAUL LEON PRICE. LINSON H. DE VOE. 

